


Rock Bottom

by lemonchase



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Aged-Up Morty Smith, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Bottom Morty Smith, Breathplay (mentioned), Claustrophobia, Confident Morty Smith, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Facials, Hand Jobs, Kissing, M/M, Mentions of dubious consent, Morty is 17, POV Rick Sanchez, POV Third Person, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Present Tense, Prostitute Morty Smith, Prostitution, Rentboy Morty Smith, Rick and Morty aren't from the same dimension but I would still count it as incest, Rimming, Scars, Science, Sex Worker Morty Smith, Sharing a Bed, Smut, Some Fluff, Some angst, The Citadel of Ricks, Top Rick Sanchez, brief talk about rape (nothing non-consensual happens or happened though), dark themes, depressing past, inventions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:14:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25672630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonchase/pseuds/lemonchase
Summary: There is a road in the Citadel of Ricks where Mortys sell their bodies.
Relationships: Rick Sanchez/Morty Smith
Comments: 40
Kudos: 104





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Morty is 17 in this fic.

Rick turns left and slows the car down. It's definitely the right road. He heard other Ricks talking about coming here to blow off some steam more times than he can count. But he never saw a reason to come here himself. After all, Rick has no problem finding someone to fuck with for free. So why should he pay for it?  
_  
Because you don’t have to hold yourself back when you’re paying for it, obviously.  
  
_ The road is deserted. Rick can't see a single fucking person. _Damn it! Am I too late? Are all Mortys already taken? Come to think of it, it's pretty fucking cold outside. Could that be the reason no one’s here?_ Rick is so busy cursing his bad luck that he almost doesn't see the small boy on the side of the road.  
  
Rick stops the car and looks the boy over before he opens the window. Cold wind blows onto his face, and he grimaces. The teenager looks surprisingly ordinary. He’s thinner than most Mortys, and he has a scar under his right eye. It’s not particularly ugly, but you can’t miss it either. Apart from that, there’s nothing special about him. At least not at first glance.  
  
“How much?” He expects something along the lines of 100 to 200 dollars. That seems to be the standard as far as he knows.

“400.”  
  
Rick raises his unibrow. “For one fuck? Are you insane?”  
  
Morty shakes his head. “I only do whole nights. I highly doubt you’ll have to hold back; there is pretty little I won't tolerate. I’ll need a bed to sleep in while you recover for the next rounds, though, and breakfast the next morning. You can throw me out at 9 a.m.”  
  
_I highly doubt you’ll have to hold back; there’s pretty little I won’t tolerate._ Rick has half a mind to ask what those things are. But it’s not relevant. He isn't into kinky sex. He’s just looking for rough sex. Rougher sex than most Mortys would be comfortable with. It doesn’t sound like Morty is adverse to that. Still, he’s a bit hesitant.  
  
“400 sound awfully low for what your offering. What’s the catch?”  
  
“No catch.” He hesitates, then adds: “My usual price is higher, but I’ve been waiting for over an hour. I’m not sure another Rick will show up if you decide against it. So … 400 it is. I can give you a taste before you decide if you want.”  
  
“A taste?”  
  
“A blowjob. Or a handjob and kissing, if that’s more to your liking. If you decide, I’m not worth spending the night with after that you don’t have to pay me anything.”  
  
Surprised, Rick raises his unibrow. Morty must be pretty desperate to suggest something like that. Either that or he’s wholeheartedly convinced Rick will want him for the whole night. Either way, Rick has nothing to lose.  
  
“Alright, I wanna see what you can do. Get in.”  
  
Morty gives him a small smile and lifts his hands to the door handle.  
  
“No, not that door,” Rick says sharply. “The other one. You’ll sit on my lap.”  
  
Morty walks around the car without so much as a blink. He seems to be used to commands.  
  
Rick says nothing as Morty opens the door and climbs onto his lap. He looks perfectly at ease. It feels wrong. Most Mortys he knows aren’t comfortable around Ricks, especially ones they don’t know. It’s too dangerous. A rent boy should have been even more cautious.  
  
“Well?” Rick asks and raises his unibrow. They’ve just been sitting there for a couple of seconds, and he’s getting impatient. He thought about driving to some secluded road, to have some privacy, but that’s not necessary. The road they are in is already deserted, and the windows of the car are tinted, anyway.  
  
Morty hesitates for a split second. Then he leans forward. His hands come to rest on Rick’s shoulders. He pauses before his lips can touch Rick’s, though.  
  
“My body’s still pretty cold,” he warns, but Rick doesn’t care. He puts his hands in Morty’s hair and pulls him forward. His lips are indeed very cold, though not as freezing as the wind that blew in when the boy opened the door. But surprisingly, it’s not uncomfortable at all. It’s a nice contrast, actually. Morty leans more into the touch, and Rick wonders if he feels the same.  
  
Morty is a pretty good kisser. Wonderfully responsive, but not overly demanding, and he easily adapts when Rick deepens the kiss and pulls him closer to his chest. Heat awaits him when he licks against Morty’s lips, and the boy opens his mouth.  
  
It doesn’t take long for Rick’s body to respond, and he starts to get hard. Morty can’t help but notice since he’s sitting right on it. His hands are sliding down, and Rick can feel them opening his pants. Without breaking the kiss, Morty pulls out his erection and wraps his hands around it.  
  
Rick breaks the kiss and moans. It’s pretty obvious that Morty is an expert. Very few people can give so much pleasure only with their hands. At this rate, he won’t even care that his orgasm will spoil their clothes.  
  
But _Morty_ seems to care. Either that or he just wants to make sure Rick will pay him. When Rick starts to get really close and breaks the kiss for another moan, Morty awkwardly climbs onto the other seat and puts his mouth on Rick’s cock. It feels so good he can’t help but gasp for breath. Morty is so talented with his tongue that it doesn’t take long for Rick to reach his climax. Morty swallows it all, without complaining, without showing any kind of discomfort at all. He probably wouldn't be so carefree if the Citadelle wouldn’t supply pills to cure every sexually transmitted disease out there.  
  
“Well?” Mory asks once Rick caught his breath. “Was that good enough?”  
  
“Yes,” he answers simply and rolls his eyes. Shouldn’t that be obvious?


	2. Chapter 2

The drive to Rick’s apartment takes only about ten minutes. Fortunately, Morty doesn’t try to start a conversation. As far as Rick is concerned, that’s one of the perks of paying for sex. There’s no need for stupid small talk. Rick doesn’t have to pretend he’s at all interested in Morty as a person. The boy knows he isn’t.

Rick’s apartment isn’t in the best part of the Citadelle. The buildings look ailing, and there’s graffiti everywhere. Most of the street lamps are broken, which makes it a perfect place for Mortys to hang around, getting drunk and high. No one is outside today, though, probably because it’s too cold. It’s the kind of environment Rick thrives in. The low rent is only a nice add-on. It’s _miles_ better than the west part of the Citadelle, with the huge mansions and the fancy gardens, where everyone pretends to get along with their neighbors. He has no respect for Ricks and Mortys, who live there.

The elevator is broken again, and Rick decides to fix it since he’s not in the mood to climb to the fifth floor. He’s mildly interested to see that Morty would have preferred the stairs. It’s pretty apparent, though the boy doesn’t voice it out loud. Rick can see that he tenses when the elevator door closes and can’t help but roll his eyes. Claustrophobia is such an irrational fear. One would think a rent boy would have much more reasonable worries.

Still, he doesn’t stop the boy from leaving the elevator before him and refrains from making fun of him. It’s boring to tease someone who won’t fight back, and Morty has reasons to keep quiet. He’s here to please Rick, after all, not to fight with him.

Once they are inside the apartment, he pulls out his wallet.

“Half up front, half tomorrow morning?”

“Sure,” Morty says, and Rick hands over the right amount. He’s not surprised that Morty decides to count it before putting it in one of the pockets of his jacket.

“Do you want me to act in a specific way or something?” Morty asks and pulls the scarf from his neck. “Or should I just, you know, go with the flow?”

“The latter,” Rick says and pushes the boy against the next wall. The scarf falls to the floor. This time Morty’s lips are warm, though the rest of his face is still cold. He really must have been standing out in the cold for quite some time. The kiss remains relatively mild, by Rick’s standards. After all, he just came fifteen minutes ago, and he’s not a teenager anymore. Of course, there are ways to get a hard-on sooner, but he doesn’t like using them, and since he paid for the whole night, there’s no reason to rush things.

Eventually, Rick breaks the kiss and pulls the boy to the bedroom.

By the time Rick starts to get hard again, they already took off all their clothes. Morty lies under him, and his half-hard cock is pressing against Rick’s thigh. While Rick slides down and licks over one of those pink nipples, he wonders if he should be glad that Morty is at least half-hard or offended because he isn’t more aroused. He decides that it doesn’t matter. This isn’t about Morty’s pleasure, after all. It’s about Rick’s, first and foremost. And because of that, he doesn’t feel bad when he rolls them around and pushes Morty down towards his cock.

The boy’s mouth is breathtaking, so breathtaking in fact that he has to tell Morty to slow down. He doesn’t want to come like this, even though Morty can take all of him, and he doesn’t seem to mind Rick guiding his head. Eventually, Morty’s talented tongue proves to be too much, and he pulls the boy upwards until his ass is right on top of Rick’s erection.

While Rick reaches for the bottle of lube on his nightstand, Morty leans forward and starts kissing his neck and shoulders. It’s nice that the boy shows a bit of initiative. It would be pretty tiresome otherwise.

Rick spreads a generous amount of lube on his fingers. He doubts he has to stretch him a lot. Given how good Morty is with his hands and mouth, he must be doing this a lot. Still, it’s important to make sure Morty is loose enough since he doesn’t plan on holding back.

Rick pushes one finger in with the intent to add a second one right after. But something isn’t right. Morty’s hole is too damn tight. Rick seriously doubts that a second finger would even fit in there right now, without causing severe pain.

Slowly, Rick pulls his finger out. The boy stops kissing his neck and lifts his head.

“Is something wrong?” He asks and has the nerve to look confused.

Rick narrows his eyes. “Why are you so tight?”

Morty’s face darkens for a slip second, then he’s back to normal and shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly. “That’s none of your business.”

“Are you a virgin?”

Morty laughs and shakes his head. “Do I _look_ like a virgin?”

“You’re as tight as one, at least.”

“Why do you care? I don’t expect you to pay me extra for it, or something, if that’s your concern.”

“It’s not about the money,” Rick says and rolls his eyes. He would have been willing to pay more but didn’t see a reason to do so, since Morty was willing to do it for 400. “You should have warned me.”

“ _Warned_ you?” Morty asks and looks at him with big, confused eyes. “Most of my clients are thrilled when they find out about it.”

Rick snorts and pushes the boy off him. “I was looking for rough sex. I can’t have that with you.”

“What do you mean, you can’t have rough sex with me? Of course, you can!”

Rick snorts exasperatedly. “I would make you bleed like a pig. I’m not a sadist, you know?”

“If you prepare me properly, I won’t bleed much, if at all. And besides, I told you you wouldn’t have to hold back, didn’t I? I can handle it. I’m used to it.”

He is pretty sure Morty is sugarcoating the issue. It’s been some time since Rick has been with a virgin, but he remembers how long it can take for inexperienced guys to relax around his fingers, let alone his cock.

But Morty _isn’t_ inexperienced. He said he isn’t a virgin, and Rick is inclined to believe him. He won’t be as scared and nervous as a guy who never had sex before, and Rick won't have to reassure him. It should make everything a whole lot easier. Slowly, he nods. Maybe Morty wasn’t sugarcoating the issue quite as much as he thought, after all.

“All right, fine. Let’s see if we can open you up,” Rick says and motions Morty to climb back onto his lap.

“I can prepare myself if you want.”

“No. I want it done right, and I don’t trust you to do that.”

Morty opens his mouth, probably to protest, but closes it without having said anything. Good. Rick is sick of all his objections. Without being asked to, Morty starts caressing his torso again. Rick decides that a bit more lube can’t hurt and reaches for the bottle.

The first finger isn’t too hard to get in. It’s a tight fit, sure, but not _impossibly_ tight. Luckily, it doesn’t take him too long to find the boy’s prostate. Morty moans softly against his neck, and Rick smirks. Most guys he slept with were more susceptible to stretching if they were aroused. It won’t hurt to tease him a bit.

By the time Rick deems him ready for a second finger, Morty is breathing heavily, and his caresses and kisses have become sloppier. Rick doesn’t mind. Actually, he prefers it that way.

Rick rarely takes that much time preparing someone, that’s why he’s surprised that he doesn’t mind all that much. It’s nice to see Morty trembling and panting. Rick knows that some of it might be faked, but not all of it. Morty’s cock is hard and leaking after all, and besides, he has never met anyone who could act that well.

Eventually, he deems Morty stretched enough and covers his cock in lube. Then he rolls them around. He wants to set the pace, and that is easier if Morty is lying under him. The boy spreads his legs and licks his lips. He looks good like this, aroused and ready to be taken.

Without wasting any more time, Rick starts to push in. He takes his time, partly because he really doesn’t want to hurt the boy and partly because it feels fucking amazing, and he doesn’t want to come prematurely, like some stupid teenager. Both of them are sweating and breathing hard, and Rick loves it. Did he seriously almost refuse to have anal sex with Morty because he is _too tight_? It seems stupid to him now.

In the end, Rick doesn’t take him half as rough as he imagined when he set out to find a rent boy. Not because he thinks Morty can’t handle it, but because he would have come too early if he had fucked him harder.


	3. Chapter 3

For a moment, Rick doesn’t know what woke him up. Then he feels something bumping against his chest, and he turns the lamp on his nightstand on. The thing that hit him turns out to be Morty’s arm.  
  
The boy is breathing heavily, and he is soaked in sweat. His eyes are moving rapidly behind his eyelids. You don’t need to be an expert to realize he is having a nightmare.  
  
Rick snorts and reaches out to shake him awake. Almost as soon as he touches Morty’s shoulder, the boy gasps for breath and sits up so fast that Rick almost flinches. He narrows his eyes as Morty’s eyes flicker around the room and eventually come to rest on Rick. Some of the tension leaves his body.  
  
“Um,” Morty mutters and swallows. “I woke you up, didn’t I? I’m sorry. Usually, I don’t sleep deep enough to dream when I’m working.”  
  
“It’s fine,” Rick says and looks at the clock. He can’t remember the last time he woke up before 8 a.m.  
  
“Um,” Morty says, and Rick turns around just in time to see that he was also looking at the clock. “Did you intend to let me sleep this long?”  
  
Rick rolls his eyes. “Yes. I wasn’t in the mood for a whole night of fucking.”  
  
It’s the truth, more or less. He wasn’t looking for that, after all, when he set out to find a rent boy yesterday evening. That was in part because he thought it would be too expensive, though. Still, that isn’t why he didn’t think to set a timer after he came inside of Morty. He’s just not used to it. It’s not like he doesn’t have second and third rounds with one-night-stands, but only if one of them happens to wake up in the middle of the night or something. It’s nothing he plans. It just happens.  
  
_This is different, though. I don’t pay extra for every orgasm. It’s not surprising Morty is a bit confused._   
  
“Huh? You - you mean it wasn’t good enough? So you _were_ holding back, after all. I should have known. You weren’t rough at all.” Morty furrows his brow. “I told you you wouldn’t have to hold back. You have no right to complain.”  
  
“I’m not complaining,” Rick interrupts him. “Now shut up!”  
  
Morty takes a deep breath, and Rick watches as all his emotions, the confusion, the defiance, and the tiredness, disappear from his face. Rick can’t help but be fascinated. He must have more self-control than most Mortys if he can get his emotions under control so quickly.  
  
“You can’t pay me less,” he says once his face is completely blank.  
  
Rick raises his unibrow. Where is _that_ coming from? “I wasn’t planning on doing so.”  
  
“Oh, really,” Morty says flatly. “So, you’re just gonna accept that you paid 400 for bad sex?”  
  
“It was by no means bad. It was fucking amazing, actually. Well, it might not have been for you.” Rick hadn’t bothered with stimulating the boy much, now that he thinks about it. He rubbed against Morty’s prostate when he fingered him, but that had been about it. Even when he fucked him, he hadn’t put that much effort into targeting his prostate. Morty only came because he stroked himself to completion. Rick refuses to feel guilty about it, though. He paid for it, so he should be allowed to be egoistic.  
  
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Morty mutters and shakes his head. “You’re confusing.”  
  
” _I’m_ confusing?” Rick asks and raises his unibrow. “I don’t get why you think I wasn’t satisfied. You must have noticed I was pretty into it.”  
  
“Uh, yeah.” Taken aback, Rick watches as Morty’s cheeks turn pink. Why does _that_ of all things make him blush when nothing else did up to this point? “But you said you weren’t in the mood for a whole night of fucking, even though that’s exactly what you’re paying me for.”  
  
“Well, I’m not so horny or broke that I have to get as many orgasms out of this as possible. However, another one of your blow jobs would be nice. But first, I’m gonna give you the second half of your payment so you can shut up.”  
  
He picks up his pants from the floor, pulls out his wallet, and gives Morty the same amount as yesterday evening. He should have just given him all at once. Maybe then he wouldn’t be having this annoying conversation now.  
  
  
  
After a more than satisfying blow job, Rick decides that they both need a shower. Morty’s face is covered in cum, and they are both soaked in sweat, though in Morty’s case, that has more to do with his nightmare than anything else. Morty doesn’t look like he intends to clean himself up. Maybe the boy thinks it would offend him. Rick rolls his eyes. Sure, he looks good like this, with Rick’s cum all over his face, but it must be pretty uncomfortable. The shower would get rid of it eventually, of course, but Rick has a better idea. He leans in and licks over his cheek and forehead until he is clean. By the time he is done, Morty is shivering slightly. Unfortunately, Rick can’t tell if he is embarrassed or merely glad he’s rid of the sticky stuff.  
  
“Come on,” Rick says and pulls the boy to the bathroom.  
  
Rick’s shower wasn't made for two people, which means they are standing pretty close and bump against each other every so often. Morty apologizes every time it happens until Rick tells him to shut up. His cautious and polite behavior is getting old. It feels unnatural. He wonders if other Ricks expect him to act like this or if he developed this kind of behavior over time. Both would be pretty depressing, though for different reasons.  
  
Rick shakes his head and decides to focus on the sight before him instead. It’s not like he really cares why the boy is the way he is.  
  
Morty is not as skinny as he initially assumed, he notices. His jacket must have been thinner than he thought. But that’s not the only surprising thing. Now that he takes a closer look, he sees that Morty’s whole body is covered in scars, though none is as deep as the one on his face. Most are barely visible. Rick reaches out and touches one of the bigger ones near his right collarbone.  
  
Morty freezes for a second. Then he relaxes again.  
  
“You could remove them, you know? It’s a pretty easy procedure.” Rick could even do it himself if he were in the mood for it.  
  
“I know. But I don’t want to,” Morty says and looks at him weirdly. “Do they bother you?”  
  
“Not really. They are barely visible, anyway.”  
  
“Sure,” Morty says, but his voice sounds distant, and he still has that weird expression on his face. It takes a couple of seconds until Rick recognizes the emotion. It’s _nostalgia_. Rick frowns.  
_  
Is he seriously feeling nostalgic about his scars? That’s pretty weird._   
  
Rick shakes his head. He doesn’t need to understand the boy. Still, Morty’s expression annoys him somehow, so he leans in and kisses him.  
  
What started as a means to distract Morty and himself soon turns into a heated kiss, and Rick pushes the boy against the wall of the shower. While his tongue explores Morty’s mouth, his hands slide down to tweak his nipples. Rick just thought about wrapping his hand around Morty’s half-hard cock, when the boy’s stomach suddenly starts to growl. Amused, Rick withdraws and raises his unibrow.  
  
“Sorry.”  
  
“Stop apologizing all the time,” Rick says and rolls his eyes. “Come on, breakfast was part of the deal, wasn’t it?”  
  
Rick doesn’t mind the interruption. He doubts he could already get hard again, anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

All in all, paying for sex was more than worth it.  
  
Sure, there were some annoying moments as well, but they were pretty minor. Nothing that would make him regret spending 400 on a rent boy. In fact, Rick already thinks he might do it again sometime soon.  
  
Maybe even _very_ soon, since the next one-night-stand he has is a huge letdown. The Rick he picks up in a club is into breathplay and gets angry when Rick refuses to choke him. They both had more than a couple of drinks, which would make the whole thing pretty dangerous. But, more importantly, Rick simply isn't into that kind of thing.  
  
It's not the first lousy one-night-stand he had with a Rick. Not by a long shot. The Citadel is full of weird guys with even weirder kinks. Rick decides not to dwell on it too long and instead focuses more on work than usual.  
  
For once, the group of Ricks he is working with is trying to invent something worth his time and effort.  
  
There is only one way to find out for sure which dimension a person was born in. You need a blood sample of the person, which you can then analyze with a device called the _dimension-finder_. It's a pretty dull name, as fas as Rick is concerned, but the Rick who invented it stops every attempt at renaming it. They are not trying to change the name, though.  
  
They are looking for a way to replace the _dimension-finder_ with a new and superior device. After all, it can be hard to take a blood sample of a person who wants to keep their identity a secret. The goal is to create a device that can identify a person by scanning them. They are making progress, but it's hard to tell when they will succeed.  
  
After a particularly auspicious day, they decide to celebrate their progress. Rick can't help but roll his eyes. As if any of them would need a _reason_ to get drunk.  
  
They go to the Citadel's biggest club, the one where Rick picked up his one-night-stand three days ago. He grimaces at the memory.  
  
_I really should make it more clear that I'm only looking for regular old rough fucking. It shouldn't be too hard to find someone who is into that.  
  
_But he knows that's not true. There seem to be only two types of people in the Citadel. The guys who are into plain vanilla sex, which are mostly Mortys, and the guys who are into kinky sex, which are mostly Ricks. There are exceptions, of course, but they are hard to find. Rick usually doesn't have the patience to deal with insecure Mortys and sticks with Ricks, but it's far from ideal. It's one of the main reasons why he even considered paying for sex.  
  
  
  
Hours later, Rick is utterly wasted and has some trouble getting his apartment door open. When he finally succeeds, he makes his way to the bedroom and falls onto his bed. His head is spinning, but thankfully he doesn't feel the need to throw up.  
  
He doesn't know how long he lies there and just enjoys feeling intoxicated. He was about to drift off when someone suddenly rings the doorbell. Groaning, he sits up. Who could that be? He isn't expecting anyone, and he doesn't have any friends who would stop by randomly. It might be a Rick who lives in one of the other apartments of the house, but he doubts it. After all, he didn't do anything worth complaining about in the last couple of days. The doorbell rings again, and he drags himself to his feet.  
  
"Yes?" He grunts into the intercom.  
  
"Um, hi. I'm sorry to bother you at this time of day." The voice belongs to a Morty, and Rick blinks. "I know this might sound weird, but can I sleep on your couch tonight? I'm willing to pay you, of course."  
  
Rick frowns and shakes his head, trying to clear his mind. Without success.  
  
"Wait a second." He pulls a vial out of his lab coat and swallows the liquid in one go. The stuff is working its way through his body, neutralizing the alcohol. A couple of seconds later, he is basically sober again.  
  
"Are you who I think you are?" He asks then.  
  
"Depends?" The boy sounds hesitant. "You paid me to have sex with you five days ago."  
  
Rick frowns and shakes his head. This is _not_ how he imagined meeting Morty again.  
  
"Why did you come here, of all places?" Rick asks, trying to make sense of the situation. "Why not go to a hotel or something if you're just looking for a place to sleep?"  
  
"I'd rather not answer that. At least not yet."  
  
Great. Very forthcoming. "So you just expect me to let you crash on my couch without explaining anything?"  
  
"I'm not expecting anything. I'm asking. And I said I'm willing to pay you, didn't I? Either with money or sex."  
  
With sex? So he's willing to sell his body just for a place to sleep? That's a big red flag. There must be a reason he's not going to a hotel. But the offer _does_ sound pretty appealing. He knows how good Morty is in bed, and he already decided he'd be willing to pay for it again. And when push comes to shove, he can defend himself against a Morty. There is no real danger in allowing him to stay for the night.  
  
"Alright," Rick says and presses a bottom to let him in. He expects Morty to use the stairs since he seemed so uncomfortable using the elevator the last time. But he doesn't. Rick raises his unibrow when the elevator door opens, and Morty steps through. He isn't confused for long, though. Morty is limping. It's no wonder he didn't want to climb to the fifth floor like that.  
  
"What happened to you?" Rick asks, his gaze fixed on Morty's split lip. He wonders if there are any other injuries hidden under his clothes.  
  
Morty looks around uneasily. "Can we do this inside?"  
  
"Fine," Rick says and helps the boy into the living room and onto the couch.  
  
"Thank you," Morty says and frowns down on his right foot. "I really hope it's just a sprain."  
  
"What happened?" Rick repeats and sits down on the armchair across from the boy.  
  
"I - I got into a fight with a Rick. He wanted me to do something against my will, and I wouldn't let him. He got angry."  
  
Rick narrows his eyes. That doesn't sound good _at all_. "Was he one of your clients?"  
  
"No. Well, not really. It's complicated."  
  
Rick hesitates. He knows it's none of his business, but he thinks he needs to ask if he's going to let the boy stay here. "Did he … try to rape you?"  
  
Morty's eyes widen. It looks like he honestly didn't expect that question. "What? No. Nothing like that. Nothing sexual."  
  
"Really?" Rick asks, just to be sure.  
  
"Yes." This time Morty's voice is firm again. He seems to have regained his composure. "I wouldn't be so calm if something like that happened."  
  
"Alright. What did he want you to do, then?"  
  
Morty hesitates. He looks like he doesn't know how much he should reveal.  
  
"I'd like to keep that to myself," he finally says. "It wasn't particularly … invasive or anything, but I can't go back to where I used to sleep anymore. I wouldn't have come here otherwise."  
  
"And you still won't tell me why you won't go to a hotel." It's not a question, but Morty nods anyway. "Fine. Let's talk about my payment. How long exactly do you want to stay?"  
  
"As long as you'll let me."  
  
"Multiple days, then?"  
  
Morty blinks. His tongue licks over his bloody lip. "I - yeah, that would be great. As long as your price remains reasonable."  
  
"Of course. Let's see. I'm not interested in your money, so how about one hour of your time for every night you stay here? Does that sound fair?"  
  
"Yeah," Morty says and smiles hesitantly. "Sounds good."  
  
"Okay. One last thing. I want to know why you came here of all places. Why didn't you go to a friend or one of your other clients?"  
  
Rick thinks he knows the answer, but he wants Morty to say it out loud. This way, there won't be any kind of misunderstandings between them.  
  
"Oh, that's simple. You're the most decent person I ever met in the Citadel. I know I'll be relatively safe here."  
  
" _What_?" Rick asks, flabbergasted. That's _not_ the kind of answer he expected. He thought Morty might say that he doesn't have friends who would take him in. Or maybe that Rick just happened to be the first client he went to. He did _not_ expect to be called _decent_ , of all things.  
  
"You're delusional if you really think I'm a decent person."  
  
"I didn't say that. I said you're the _most_ decent person I know _in the Citadel_. That's a huge difference."  
  
Rick shakes his head. "Sure, the Citadel is full of assholes, but there are some nice guys, trying to change things around here."  
  
Morty shrugs his shoulders. "Maybe. But I only interact with Ricks, who want to fuck me. You didn't treat me like an object, and you didn't cause me pain. That's more than all the others did."  
  
Rick is not sure the boy is telling the truth. It would be pretty depressing if Rick really is the most decent person Morty knows.  
  
"Why are we even talking about this?" Morty asks and stifles a yawn. "Shouldn't you just be glad that you get to fuck me for a relatively low price?"  
  
The boy has a point. Rick decides to let it go for now. It wouldn't be a good idea to let Morty think he is interested in him. He's just curious, and a bit confused, nothing more.  
  
"Fine. Enough of that. We're both tired, so I'm gonna treat your injuries, and then we can go to sleep. I'll collect my payment tomorrow."


	5. Chapter 5

  
When Rick enters the living room the next morning, Morty is already awake. Rick isn’t surprised that the boy woke up before him. It’s already past 11 a.m., and most Mortys aren’t late risers. Rick, on the other hand, might have slept longer if Morty hadn’t shown up yesterday. He set his alarm earlier than usual since he has to be at work at 2 p.m., and he wants to fuck Morty before that, without having to rush things.  
  
Morty closes one of Rick’s books he had been reading in and licks his lips nervously. Rick can’t help but follow Morty’s tongue, remembering how expertly it teased Rick’s cock less than a week ago.  
  
“Um, I’m sorry I didn’t ask your permission before touching your stuff,” Morty says and hastily puts the book back in the bookshelf. “I just got a bit bored.”  
  
Rick rolls his eyes. “I don’t care what you touch, as long as you don’t damage anything or try to steal from me.”  
  
Morty narrows his eyes. “I would never steal from a Rick. How stupid do you think I am?”  
  
“You’re seventeen. Most Seventeen-year-olds act without thinking.”  
  
“I don’t. I’d be dead by now if I did that.”  
  
Rick snorts. _Why do teenagers always have to exaggerate? He’d be dead by now? Really?_ Then he remembers what Morty said yesterday.  
  
 _You didn't treat me like an object, and you didn't cause me pain. That's more than all the others did._  
  
That are not the words of someone who doesn’t know his profession can be dangerous. Morty obviously knows he has to be careful. He could get seriously hurt otherwise.  
  
“Did I offend you? That wasn’t my intent.” Morty chews his lips, which Rick healed just yesterday, along with his sprain and a handful of bruises. Rick narrows his eyes. He doesn’t like it when people sabotage his efforts, be it consciously or unconsciously, but since Morty isn’t biting his lips hard enough to bleed, he chooses to ignore it.  
  
“Just forget it. I don’t think you’ll try to steal from me.”  
  
“Good,” Morty says. He tries to smile, but it doesn’t look entirely natural. “So, what first? Breakfast or sex?”  
  
“Sex, of course.”  
  
  
  
Rick closes his eyes for a second as Morty’s lips once again wrap around his cock. It feels like heaven. He wonders how long it took Morty to get his gag reflex under control. Rick knows how uncomfortable it can be to feel something entering your throat, especially something as thick as a cock. Most people choke and gag at least the first few times they try it. If you’re unlucky or just not careful enough, you might even throw up.  
  
But Morty shows no signs of any of that. He looks perfectly at ease between Rick’s legs. His breathing might be a bit faster than usual, and his cheeks are flushed, but that’s about it. Rick can’t help but admire his self-control. Since he never had the desire to learn how to deepthroat, he wouldn’t be able to do that.  
 _  
Morty’s cock is smaller than mine, but I’m still glad he won’t expect me to suck him off as well. I wouldn’t want him to think he’s better at sucking cock than me, even though that’s probably true._  
  
Soon all coherent thoughts leave his head, and he moans as he reaches his climax.  
  
“That was amazing,” Rick says, once he can breathe evenly again.  
  
A look at the clock tells him that he still has about forty minutes left. That should be long enough for what he has planned. He opens the drawer of his nightstand, looking for a small object, about as thick and long as his index finger.  
  
“Lie down on your stomach,” Rick says, once he finally found the device.  
  
“What is that?” Morty asks. He didn’t move one inch and is starring at the thing in Rick’s hand. Rick supposes it’s not surprising the boy is a bit confused. The object is far too small and thin to be a dildo and doesn’t have the form of a plug. It looks more like a tampon, actually, though it’s a bit longer. There is even a thread at the end of it.  
  
“It’s one of my inventions,” Rick explains. “I will push it into your ass, and it will remove all harmful bacteria and viruses.”  
  
Morty frowns. “And why is that necessary? You didn’t do it last time.”  
  
“Last time, I didn’t want to lick your asshole.”  
  
“Oh,” Morty mutters and blushes. Rick tries not to stare. The boy always appears to be so confident and at ease that it seems strange when he does get embarrassed. “And that thing will do nothing else? It will only remove bacteria and viruses?”  
  
“Yes. What else do you think it might do?”  
  
“I don’t know. But the last time I let a client use an invention on me, I ended up with a virgin-tight ass, which has made my life considerably harder. I’m not willing to risk something like that again.”  
  
Rick frowns. He didn’t think Morty would object to this. It’s harmless, and it won’t hurt at all if it’s handled right. But if Morty is telling the truth…  
  
“ _That’s_ why you’re so tight? Someone did that against your will?”  
  
Morty just shrugs his shoulders. He looks like he doesn’t really want to talk about it.  
  
“Fine. I can understand why you’re a bit hesitant. How about I use it on me first, so you can see it’s harmless.”  
  
Morty’s eyes widen. “You’d be willing to do that?”  
  
“Of course. As I said, it’s harmless.”  
  
Morty hesitates. Rick keeps his mouth shut since it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to put pressure on the boy right now. Eventually, Morty sighs.  
  
“Alright,” he says and rolls onto his stomach. “Just shove it in or whatever.”  
  
“Really?” Rick asks. Does that mean Morty doesn’t want him to use it on himself first? Why is he suddenly so compliant?  
  
“Yeah, go on. I don’t want to waste any more of your time. Just know that you’ll regret it if you lied to me.”  
  
“I didn’t lie,” Rick can’t help but reply, even as he climbs between Morty’s thighs.  
  
Licking his lip, Rick grips Morty’s ass cheeks and pulls them apart until he can see his hole. What a delicious sight. Rick can’t wait to open him up with his tongue. But first … “Unfortunately, the device won’t work if lube is involved. I’ve been looking for a way to change that, but I’ve been unsuccessful so far. I expect you to tell me if I hurt you.”  
  
Usually, Rick doesn’t feel the need to say that, since most of the people he sleeps with complain if he gives them anything but pleasure. But he doubts Morty will speak up for himself.  
  
Rick waits until Morty nods, then he starts to push the tampon-shaped object in. Slowly, it disappears inside of him. Since it’s only as thick as a single finger, it shouldn’t hurt, even without lube, but he doubts it’s a pleasant sensation. What comes after should make up for it, though.  
  
 _Not that I have to make up for it, of course. I shouldn’t forget that.  
  
_ Once the device is all the way in, Rick grips the chord and pulls it back out. Unceremoniously, he throws it into the trash can.  
  
With that out of the way, Rick leans down and licks over Morty’s entrance.  
  
At first, Morty appears utterly unaffected by it. He just lies there, breathing evenly, his head turned to the side. But when Rick pulls his ass cheeks a bit further apart, so that he can push his tongue a tiny bit inside, Morty shivers slightly.  
  
By the time Rick loosened him up enough to push an inch or two of his tongue inside, Morty is moaning and hiding his face in his arms. Rick wonders if he is ashamed that he likes it.  
  
Tired of not seeing most of Morty’s reactions, Rick draws back and turns the boy around so that he’s lying on his back. Now he can see that Morty’s face is red and that he’s avoiding eye contact. He grips Morty’s thighs and pushes his legs up to the boy’s chest.  
  
“Don’t be ashamed,” Rick says and licks over his entrance all the way up to the balls. Satisfied, he notices that Morty’s cock is hard and leaking pre-cum. “It’s nice to see you all hot and bothered.”  
  
“Sorry. It’s just - I didn’t expect to like it that much.” Rick raises his unibrow. _Is he saying that he has never been rimmed before_? “I mean, you’re not even touching my prostate.”  
  
“Well, that can be changed,” Rick says and reaches for the bottle of lube. As much as he likes rimming Morty, he also wants to fuck him, and he doesn’t have that much time left.  
  
Morty holds his legs up while Rick pushes the first finger in. It goes in smoother than last time, but that was to be expected. The rimming wasn’t completely useless in that regard. Quickly, he finds the prostate and starts rubbing against it. Morty moans, and their eyes meet.  
  
“You don’t have to stimulate me, you know,” Morty says breathlessly, looking away.  
  
“I know. But I want to. It’s very satisfying to watch.”  
  
Morty doesn’t say anything, just opens his legs wider, to give Rick better access. Soon after, Rick gets more lube and pushes a second finger in. Then he leans down to tease Morty’s anus with his tongue, while his fingers move in and out. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices Morty wrapping a hand around his cock and slaps his wrist. Morty groans but stops jerking himself off. _Good_. Rick doesn’t want the boy to come before he’s balls deep inside him.  
  
By the time Rick pushes a third finger in, his cock is almost leaking as much pre-cum as Morty’s. It’s getting considerably harder to hold back and not just replace his fingers with his cock. Knowing that Morty wouldn’t protest makes it even harder. But the boy isn’t ready yet. He still needs some stretching.  
  
Morty seems to disagree.  
  
“Come on, Rick, I’m ready,” he pants, gasping for breath. “I’m as loose as I ever will be. Just fuck me already.”  
  
“Not yet,” Rick answers, but his resolve is wavering. Morty begging like that is getting to him.  
  
“ _Please!_ You’re driving me _insane._ I need something bigger than your fingers inside!”  
  
Rick exhales sharply. _That’s too much._ How is he supposed to resist that kind of temptation?  
  
“Alright,” he says and pulls his fingers out. Covering his cock in lube, he lies down onto his back. “Ride me.”  
  
Usually, Rick prefers to be the one who’s in control during sex, the one who sets the pace, but in this situation, it’s better this way. Morty _isn’t_ properly stretched yet, no matter what the boy says, and this way, Rick will at least not hurt him accidentally.  
  
Morty blinks as if he didn’t expect Rick to actually give in. Then he shakes his head and eagerly climbs onto Rick’s lap. Biting his lip, Morty reaches behind him and grips Rick’s cock, pushing the head against his entrance. Then, without further ado, he starts sinking down on it. Rick can feel inch after inch disappearing inside that tight heat. He moans and grips Morty’s hips, but he doesn’t try to control the boy’s movements.  
  
Seconds later, Rick can feel the last inch of his cock entering Morty’s ass, and he has to close his eyes for a moment.  
 _  
It feels even tighter than last time, but maybe that’s just because I’m so goddamn aroused._  
  
Either way, Rick knows he won’t be able to hold back his orgasm for long. It’s just too intense. He doesn’t want to come before Morty, though. That would be pathetic, after all the stimulation he put the boy through.  
  
Rick reaches out and wraps his hand around Morty’s cock. The boy flinches, and for a moment, it gets even tighter around Rick.  
  
“Fuck,” Rick growls and begins to jerk the boy off.  
  
Morty whimpers a bit and then finally starts to move. His movements are slow at first, and a bit uneven, but Rick couldn’t care less. He has trouble enough as it is not to come prematurely.  
  
Soon enough, Morty’s movements become faster, and he starts slamming himself down on Rick’s cock ruthlessly.  
  
 _I don’t know how much longer I can take this.  
  
_ Just as the thought enters his mind, their eyes meet, and Rick makes a particularly sharp twisting motion with his hand.  
  
Morty shudders and comes all over Rick’s stomach. Immediately, it gets even tighter around Rick’s cock, and since Morty already came, there’s no reason to hold back his orgasm anymore, and he follows suit.


	6. Chapter 6

About half an hour later, they are sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. Usually, Rick just eats toast, but he gladly accepted Morty’s offer to make them pancakes. They mostly eat in silence, but it isn’t uncomfortable or tense. Rick thinks he might even be able to get used to it.  
  
He shakes his head to get rid of the thought.  
 _  
I shouldn’t get used to this. Morty probably won’t stay longer than a couple of days, maybe a week. I’m sure he wants to get away from here as soon as possible.  
  
And I don’t want him to stay here permanently, anyway. He would annoy the fuck out of me after a while._  
  
“Can I ask you something?” Morty asks, just as Rick puts the last pancake on his plate. The boy already finished eating a while ago. He doesn’t seem to have that big an appetite, which explains why he’s so thin.  
  
“Sure, why not?”  
  
Morty hesitates. “It may sound a bit … inappropriate.”  
  
“Do I look like I care? Just spit it out.”  
  
“Fine. Why do you pay for sex?”  
  
Rick raises his unibrow. Now _that’s_ an interesting question. “Because you’ll only have sex with me if you get something in return.”  
  
“Yeah, but I’m hardly the only Morty in the Citadel. Why aren’t you just picking someone up in a club? I know why the rest of my clients don’t do that. Some have kinks that most people wouldn’t go along with. Some get off on inflicting pain. Some are so uncharismatic that they’d have trouble attracting anyone’s attention. You don’t fit into any of those categories, as far as I can tell. I just don’t get why you would pay money for it or let me sleep on your couch, for that matter.”  
  
“You seem to have thought about that quite a lot.”  
  
Morty shrugs his shoulders. “Sure. You’re confusing. I don’t really know what to think of you.”  
 _  
Well, I don’t know what to think of you either._  
  
But he doesn’t say that out loud, of course. Rick was never good at admitting shortcomings.  
  
“You’re not the only one who deals with Ricks with weird kinks, you know. Just the other day, I had a one-night-stand with a Rick who wanted to get choked. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone he isn’t into weird shit? Someone who isn’t looking for more than a one-night-stand, like most Mortys? Paying for it is just more convenient. Especially now that you’re here, and I won’t even have to leave the house to look for someone.”  
  
Morty frowns but doesn’t say anything, so Rick starts eating the last pancake. It tastes really great. Rick would probably make pancakes every day if cooking weren't so goddamn mundane. He just doesn’t have the patience for it.  
  
Eventually, when Rick is almost done eating, Morty opens his mouth.  
  
“I wonder why there aren’t more Ricks paying for sex, then. I mean, if most Ricks have some kind of kink, it must be hard for them to find a Morty who will go along with their idea of sex. I only have half a dozen clients who seek me out regularly. It should be much more. There aren’t that many rent boys, after all.”  
  
“Most Ricks don’t satisfy their kinks with Mortys,” Rick says dismissively. “They satisfy them with Ricks. It’s not that hard to find a Rick who’s into the same stuff. That’s why the demand for rent boys isn’t that high.”  
  
Rick hopes Morty will drop the topic now. He doesn’t like it when the boy talks about his clients. It’s not the reminder that Morty regularly fucks with a lot of guys, which Rick has a problem with. He just can’t stand it when Ricks abuse their power over Mortys, and from what he can tell, that’s precisely what’s going on with Morty.  
  
It’s not just the way Morty talks about his clients that hints in that direction, either. There is also Morty’s surprise over the fact that Rick refuses to cause him pain and the way the boy keeps apologizing for every little thing. Rick also remembers that Morty was afraid Rick might pay him less than they agreed on that first night. At the time, he didn’t think much of it, since he was more confused over the fact that Morty thought he wasn’t satisfied with the sex.  
  
But now that he thinks about it, knowing everything Morty said and did since then, he is pretty sure there must have been at least one client who didn’t pay Morty the full amount for some stupid reason. Maybe because Morty refused to go along with a particular kink or something. Rick is not sure he wants to know.  
  
“Um, did I say something wrong?” Morty asks hesitantly.  
  
“Stop that,” Rick snaps, glaring at Morty. “I’m not gonna get angry at you or throw you out for speaking your mind. So stop worrying all the time that you might say something wrong, okay?”  
  
Morty blinks. He locks surprised over Rick’s outburst but nods firmly.  
  
“Good,” Rick says and looks at the clock. “I have to go soon. Do you need to leave the house today?”  
  
“Um, I guess. At least to get something to eat.”  
  
“That’s what I thought. Wait here.” Rick goes into his bedroom to get his spare key. “Here.”  
  
Morty’s eyes widen. “You’re giving me a key to your apartment?”  
  
“Yes. Don’t make a big deal out of it. And don’t lose it.”  
  
“Of course not,” Morty mutters and closes his hand around the key. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Rick looks away. He never gave anyone free access to his apartment, and it feels more intimate than he anticipated. But there is really no way around it. It would get pretty tiring if Rick had to let Morty in every time the boy left the house.  
  
“Do you have any questions? Otherwise, I’m gonna get ready for work now.”  
  
Morty hesitates for a second. Then he says, “Do you mind if I use your kitchen? I’m gonna buy my own food, of course.”  
  
Rick considers it for a moment. “Only if you make me dinner. And don’t burn the house down.”  
  
“I won’t. Thank you,” Morty says and smiles. “It’s been over a year since I was able to cook something, you know. I really appreciate it.”  
  
Rick blinks. _He didn’t have access to a kitchen for over a year? Why?_  
  
“Over a year, huh?” Rick asks, curiously. “Was that around the time you became a rent boy?”  
  
Immediately, Morty stops smiling. “That's none of your damn business!” He says sharply. “I don’t have to answer that!”  
  
“Of course, you don’t.” _Interesting. So he does get rude when you ask him the wrong questions._ “Sorry for asking.”  
  
Slowly, the anger disappears from Morty’s face, and he starts staring at Rick like he’s some kind of bizarre insect he has never seen before. _Why is he looking at me like that? Just because I apologized to him?_  
  
“No, it’s fine,” Morty says slowly. “I just hate thinking about what happened back then.”  
 _  
Ah. So something_ did _happen. Something he won’t talk about._ Rick is pretty sure that he would understand Morty a whole lot better if he could get him to talk about it. He decides to let it go for now, though, since he knows it would be a bad idea to press the boy.  
  
“Anyway, if you don’t have any other questions, I’m gonna get ready for work now.”  
  
  
  
Hours later, Rick is done working and drives back to his apartment. It feels strange knowing there will be someone waiting for him.  
  
When Rick opens the apartment door, it becomes apparent that Morty already got down to making dinner. Even though the door to the kitchen is closed, he can smell tomatoes and cheese, and … is that ground meat? Rick’s mouth waters as he takes off his jacket and goes into the kitchen. Morty is nowhere to be seen. He is probably in the living room, watching Interdimensional Cable or something.  
  
Curiously, he opens the oven where the smell is coming from. It looks like lasagna or some kind of casserole. Surprised, Rick blinks. He didn’t think Morty would cook something that time-consuming.  
  
“Oh, you’re back.” Closing the oven, Rick turns around. Morty looks nervous for some reason. “I hope you like lasagna.”  
  
Rick rolls his eyes. “Who doesn’t like lasagna? Is it really to be taken out yet?”  
  
“I was about the check that,” Morty says and takes the thin stick that lies next to the oven. After sticking it into the dish, he says, “I think we should wait another ten minutes or so. Hope you don’t mind. I didn’t want to cook any earlier since I didn’t want it to get cold before you got here.”  
  
"It's fine. I should have told you when I would be back." Rick hesitates. "You know, I would have been satisfied with spaghetti with tomato sauce. There was no need to make something as time-consuming as lasagna."  
  
Morty blinks. "I like cooking. Especially after such a long time of going without it. And, to be honest, I did it more for myself than you."  
  
"You actually _like_ cooking? It's boring as fuck!"  
  
"It can be. Depends on what you're making."  
  
Rick shakes his head and reaches for a bottle of wine. _That's another thing that's different about this Morty_ , he thinks while he’s making his way to the living room. He can hear Morty following him after a moment. _I don't think cooking is a hobby most of them share.  
  
_ Rick sits down on the couch and takes a sip of wine, straight from the bottle. Since he is in the habit of emptying whole bottles at once, he doesn't see the need to use a glass. Slightly surprised, he notices that the TV isn’t on. Just what was the boy doing before going into the kitchen?  
  
The question answers itself when Morty sits down on the armchair across from Rick and picks up a book that lies on the coffee table.  
  
Rick raises his unibrow when he sees the title. "Do you even understand any of that?"  
  
He highly doubts it. It's a book written by a Rick, going over some of the inventions made in the Citadelle in the last couple of years. It has over a thousand pages, and he's surprised that Morty even considered picking it up. Rick didn't even read the whole thing himself. The author has a very pompous way of writing, and you get the feeling that he thinks most inventions could have been made much faster if he had worked on the projects himself. After the first twenty or so pages, Rick simply skipped ahead to the most fascinating inventions.  
  
"A bit. Not much, though. Maybe about a quarter?" Morty says, tapping his finger against the cover of the book. "The parts where the author goes into detail are pretty much impossible to understand. I like the summaries at the beginning of every invention, though. They are always free of any gobbledygook."  
  
Rick raises his unibrow. _Is he serious?_  
  
"You can understand about a _quarter_ of it? Really?" If that's true, Morty must know more than a thing or two about Science. That would be pretty unusual. Even at _Morty Academy_ , Mortys don't learn much about Science, since most have trouble grasping even the fundamental parts.  
  
Morty shrugs his shoulders uncomfortably. "Maybe it gets more challenging later in the book? I'm only at page …" He pauses to check. "… 68."  
  
Granted, it's been a while since Rick read the book, but he would have remembered if the author wrote in a way so that anyone but a Rick could understand large chunks of it.  
  
"If you're not lying, you would do very well at _Morty Academy_. Why aren't you going there?"  
  
 _Morty Academy_ takes almost anyone in, as long as they can keep up with the material. That shouldn't be a problem for Morty, provided he isn't lying.  
  
Why is Morty refusing to take the chance? It doesn't make any sense.  
  
"I can't go there," Morty says quietly. "Don't ask me why."  
  
Rick snort. He can't help it. Morty keeps avoiding most of his questions, and it's starting to annoy him. He gets why Morty doesn't want to reveal much about himself, why he wants to protect his privacy, but that doesn't make his curiosity go away.  
  
And he really _is_ curious. Rick hates it when he’s confused about something or someone. He wants to take Morty apart until he can understand his actions and motivations.  
 _  
If he refuses to answer my questions, I will just have to be more sneaky about it. I_ will _find out his secrets, and I will get him to reveal them to me voluntarily. It might be a challenge, but I'm sure I'll be able to manage it.  
  
_ "Fine," Rick says finally, noticing that Morty is watching him. "Don't tell me why."  
  
“Okay, thanks,” Morty says and lays the book back onto the coffee table. "I'm gonna check on the lasagna."  
  
Rick watches as Morty stands up and disappears through the kitchen door.  
  
 _I'm pretty sure I'll stop being interested in him once I discovered his secrets. But I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts. It's been a long time since someone was able to capture my interest like this._


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I really hope I'll be able to upload the last two chapters soon.

The next couple of days, Rick doesn't do much more than wait and observe. The way he sees it, Morty won't reveal much to a stranger he doesn't trust. Rick wants to uncover the boy's secrets, yes, but most importantly, he wants Morty to give them up voluntarily.

It'd be no challenge at all to force the boy to answer all of his questions. He has multiple devices, which leave people with no choice, but to tell the truth. But what would be the fun in that? No. He has to get the boy to trust him if he wants Morty to be honest with him.

So he holds himself back, for the time being, and contents himself with listening to the words the boy uses and watching how his body moves. It's a lot more fun than Rick anticipated, mostly because he often doesn't understand why Morty reacts the way he does. For now, he can only speculate.

Then, on the fifth day of their arrangement, something happens that gives Rick a lot to think about.

During breakfast, Rick tells Morty what they've been trying to invent at work lately. Morty proved in the last couple of days to know enough about Science to hold a conversation with Rick about it, even though there are huge holes in his knowledge. Morty listens and looks, for all intents and purposes, interested.

But the moment Rick mentions what the device's function will be - identifying which dimension someone was born in - Morty freezes. The boy's eyes widen, and for a moment, Morty looks scared out of his mind. Then he pulls himself together and hides his emotions behind a polite mask. Rick pretends like he didn't notice anything and explains what part of the device isn't working yet, wondering why Morty had such a strong reaction to what he said.

Well. The answer is pretty obvious if you think about it. Morty doesn't want anyone to identify him. That is the only plausible reason why he got scared at the exact moment when Rick explained the device's function.

The _real_ question is why Morty doesn't want to get identified.

Rick's hands itch when he gets ready for work half an hour later. It would be beyond easy to look up all Mortys that did something the Citadel disapproves of. Rick doubts that many Mortys manage to avoid getting caught for as long as Morty did. It should be easy to figure out which of the Mortys the Citadel is looking for is the one Rick has been fascinated with lately.

 _But that would be boring_ , Rick reminds himself every time his thoughts wander in that direction during the next hours. _I want_ Morty _to tell me about his past._

Rick comes home that day to find Morty waiting for him with dinner. That was to be expected, of course. Morty cooks for him every day, and in return, Rick pays most of the grocery bills. What he doesn't expect, though, is to see Morty fidgeting in his chair, looking paler than Rick has ever seen him before. Maybe he's sick? Rick refrains from asking what is going on. He wants to see whether Morty will tell him on his own, first. So he sits down, and they start eating.

At first, it seems like Morty wants to keep whatever is bothering him to himself. But then, when they almost finished eating, Morty clears his throat.

"I'm gonna spend the night elsewhere, today."

Rick carefully lays his fork to the side. "Do you want to end our...arrangement?"

"No," Morty responds hastily. "It's just for tonight...or...well, more like every other night."

Rick eyes him for a moment. "You want to start selling your body again."

As far as Rick knows, Morty has refrained from doing so in the last five days.

Morty shrugs his shoulders. "I can't keep lying around in your apartment all day, can I?"

Rick thinks about that for a second. There is no way Morty wants to spend the night with a client because he's _bored_. "You're short on money, aren't you?"

Morty narrows his eyes. "That's none of your business."

"I didn't say it was. But if it's just money you need, I'd be willing to pay you to spend the night here, with me."

Morty looks startled for a moment. Then he frowns. "Why?"

"Do you ask all your clients why they want to have sex with you?"

"No?"

"Then where's the problem?"

Morty hesitates for a moment. Then he sighs. "I don't want to be any more dependent on you than I already am."

 _He thinks that he's dependent on me? Why? Just because I let him live here for the time being?_ Rick shakes his head.

"Look. You can go and look for some other client. No one is stopping you." Rick lets that sink in for a moment. "However, I had the impression that you prefer having sex with me over having sex with any of your other clients."

"But that's exactly the problem," Morty mutters so quietly that Rick has trouble understanding him. "Once you have enough of me, I'll have to go back to painful and humiliating sex. It's better not to get used to it too much."

Rick hums thoughtfully. He can understand where Morty is coming from. The easiest solution to that dilemma would be to tell Morty that he won't ever have enough of him. But he can't promise that. Sure, right now, Morty captures his interest like barely anyone before him, but Rick has no idea how long that will last. Rick doesn't want to lie to the boy or give him false hope.

"Would you even be willing to pay my regular price?" Morty asks and glances in his direction. "I gave you a discount that first night, for reasons I already told you. My usual price is twice as high."

Rick doesn't even have to think about it. "I have more than enough money."

Morty bites his lips so hard that Rick wonders whether he'll start bleeding. Hopefully not. Rick could heal his lips in a heartbeat, but he doesn't want to see Morty hurting himself.

Eventually, Morty sighs. "Fine, you win. I'll stay here tonight."


	8. Chapter 8

This time, Rick takes more time than usual to free Morty of his clothes. He has Morty all to himself for eight hours straight. There is no reason to rush anything.

Once there aren't any clothes between them anymore, Morty keeps moaning into their kisses. Rick can feel Morty's rock-hard cock pressing against his thigh and can't help but feel smug about it.

Today isn't the first time Rick got Morty to moan and squirm under him without touching his cock or prostate even once, but that doesn't change the fact that it's still very satisfying. For some reason, Rick can't get enough of Morty reacting to his touches like this.

_With Morty, everything is different. I'll have to make sure I don't get too attached to him._

It's an uncomfortable thought, and Rick swiftly focuses on the boy lying under him. It doesn't matter why he likes seeing Morty aroused.

It seems like he's been lost in thought for a moment too long since Morty looks at him questioningly, his hand sliding down and wrapping itself around Rick's cock. Rick can't help but moan. He's still amazed at how much pleasure Morty can give him with barely any effort.

Rick leans down and licks over the skin right over Morty's right collarbone. Morty shivers slightly and increases his efforts on Rick's cock. After spending so many hours with Morty in this very bed, he knows where the boy is particularly susceptible to stimulation. The spot right over his collarbone is one of them. Rick licks over it once more and then _sucks_. Morty throws his head back and moans. For a moment, his grip around Rick's cock gets a little bit too tight, and Rick chuckles against Morty's skin. It's thrilling to know that he can throw the boy off to the point that he can't focus on giving Rick as much pleasure as possible.

Rick keeps sucking on Morty's skin until he's sure that the boy will have a hickey tomorrow. Then he licks his way up to Morty's lips and starts kissing him slowly and leisurely. Morty is as responsive as always, but his lips move a bit mechanical as if he's distracted.

Rick doesn't like that and decides to try something. He pulls Morty's hand off his cock, grabs the boy's other hand as well, and pushes his arms into the mattress next to Morty's head. Morty grows stiff for a moment when Rick maneuvers his arms like that, but he doesn't try to stop him.

The moment Morty relaxes again, Rick knows that his suspicion is right. The kiss is so much better when Morty doesn't have to focus on jerking him off. His lips and tongue feel softer, less reserved, and overall, he's more responsive. Rick can live with his cock getting less attention if Morty keeps kissing him like that.

Rick doesn't know how long they lie there, kissing each other, but it can't be _that_ long since both of their cocks stay hard through it all. When Rick eventually does pull back, Morty is breathing hard, and his cheeks are flushed. His arms twitch as if he wants to reach out and touch Rick. In response, Rick presses them deeper into the mattress. Now that he knows how it feels like when Morty doesn't actively try to please Rick, he wants the boy to keep his hands to himself.

Rick licks his way back to the spot over Morty's collarbone, only this time on his left side. Morty already seems to know what Rick is aiming for and leans his head to the side to give him better access. Rick scrapes his teeth over the delicate skin and hears Morty gasping for breath. Then Rick proceeds to lightly suck on Morty's skin. He doesn't want to give him another hickey. That seems a bit excessive. Morty squirms under him and arches his back.

When he lets go of the skin, he catches Morty looking at him. The boy seems even more disheveled than he did after their kiss, and there is a fire in his eyes that goes straight to Rick's cock.

_Fuck. I doubt he knows how sexy he looks right now._

"Please, let me touch you," Morty says and licks his lips. "Let me do my job."

Rick raises his unibrow. "Your _job_ , right now, is to lie here and let me make you feel good."

Morty frowns. "Um ... I thought that's my job. To make _you_ feel good."

"You thought wrong," Rick responds calmly and licks his way to Morty's left nipple, takes it between his teeth, and pulls gently. After warning Morty to keep his arms where they are, he lets go of his hands. Now that Rick can freely move his arms, he slides them down to another part of Morty's body that is particularly susceptible to stimulation.

His ribcage.

Rick softly caresses the skin there. Morty is so skinny that you can feel his rips through the skin, and though Rick isn't generally into guys who are that skinny, he enjoys the way Morty shivers when he traces his bones from one side to the other.

He keeps teasing Morty's ribcage and nipples until it seems to get too much for Morty.

"Rick, come _on_ ," Morty moans. Out of the corner of his eyes, Rick can see that his arms twitch again. "Just _fuck me already_. Or at least let me touch you."

Rick lets go of his nipple for a moment to respond. "Little impatient, are we?"

"I'm not impatient," Morty pants and watches as Rick gently pulls on his nipple with his teeth. "Just... _ah_...really turned on."

"I can see that." Rick switches to Morty's other nipple, and for a couple of moments, all you can hear is Morty's heavy breathing.

"What do you want me to do? Beg? I can do that." Instead of answering, Rick just sucks particularly hard on Morty's nipple. _Let's see whether he interprets that as a yes._ " _God_. What do you want to prove here? That you can make me come without touching my cock or prostate?"

Rick licks over Morty's nipple one last time and raises his head. The sight that greets him couldn't have been any better. Morty looks like Rick already fucked him to the point of not being able to see straight anymore. His eyes are glazed over, and he's biting his lip. His hands are clenched into fists, and it looks like he has to fight to keep them where they are.

Rick waits until Morty fixes his gaze on him. "No. I have something else in mind. You can move your arms now."

Immediately, Morty reaches out and starts caressing every part of Rick's torso that he can reach. Rick shudders. Morty isn't the only one who's been turned on by what he did to the boy. At this point, Rick is so hard that it's almost painful. For a moment, he considers allowing Morty to take care of that with his hands or mouth. Then he shakes his head slightly. He wants Morty to be as aroused as possible for the next part. Maybe then the boy won't notice how much better the boy is at it than Rick. In the state he is in right now, every little touch will feel like heaven to him.

Rick slides down farther and farther until he can lick over Morty's belly button and then his hipbone. Morty whines when Rick gets so far out of reach that he can't keep touching Rick's torso anymore and has to settle for sliding his hands into Rick's hair.

Rick halts all movements, his head inches away from Morty's cock, and waits until the boy looks at him. Once Morty made eye contact, Rick lowers his head slowly, all the while holding Morty's eyes. Rick knows the second Morty realizes what he's about to do. His eyes widen almost comically, and he makes the most delicious sound he has ever heard him make when Rick licks over the head of his cock.

"Wha-?" Morty gasps and licks his lips. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?"

 _As I suspected. None of his clients ever gave him a blowjob._ Rick leans down, and this time he takes the whole head into his mouth. Morty throws his head back and gasps for breath.

"But...but _why_?" He pants.

Rick raises his head long enough to mutter, "Just shut up and enjoy."

Then he proceeds to give Morty, judging from the sounds he makes, the best blowjob he ever got. Rick isn't able to take all of Morty's cock into his mouth since his gag-reflex gets in the way, but it doesn't seem like Morty cares about that at all. _It was the right decision to get him this desperate for stimulation before doing this._

Morty's hand stays in Rick's hair through it all, but he doesn't try to control his movements. He doesn't do more than caressing Rick's scalp and occasionally lightly pulling on his hair. Rick tries not to be too impressed by his self-control. Morty probably thinks that Rick will stop sucking him off if he gets too demanding.

Morty's moans go straight to Rick's cock, which is begging for attention, and if he hadn't been sure that Morty is very close to coming, he might have reached down to take care of that.

As if he read his thoughts, Morty moans, "Rick...I'm... _fuck_...I'm about to come."

Rick smirks around Morty's cock and increases his efforts.

And then something happens that Rick honestly didn't expect. Morty pulls at his head but not _towards_ his cock.

Morty tries to push him away.

Rick frowns and pulls Morty's hands away from his head. After that, it takes only a couple of seconds until Morty arches his back, and he's coming inside Rick's mouth. Rick swallows Morty's sperm and licks Morty through his orgasm. Then he pulls back.

"Don't try to pull me off next time," Rick says after clearing his throat. His voice sounds rougher than usual, but he was expecting that. Giving a blowjob usually has that side effect, at least for Rick.

Morty doesn't respond. Maybe he's still too caught up in postcoital bliss to respond. Rick looks down at him and blinks.

The boy's eyes are closed, and he's shivering. Rick frowns. He doubts that Morty feels cold since he's soaked in sweat and his skin is warm.

And then Rick watches as a single tear escapes from behind Morty's closed eye. He freezes.

_What the hell did just happen?_


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter. I hope you had as much fun reading this fic as I had writing it. :)

"What's wrong?" Rick asks once he's over his initial shock.

This definitely wasn't part of the plan. He never intended to make Morty cry. The most frustrating and alarming thing, though, is that Rick doesn't know _why_ Morty is crying.

Rick hesitates for a moment. Then he climbs off of Morty. When the boy doesn't react in any way, Rick's worry increases. He reaches out to shake the boy but stops himself at the last moment. It's probably better to wait until Morty is ready to open his eyes on his own.

Luckily, it only takes a couple of seconds until the shivering stops. Rick watches as Morty takes a deep, shaking breath and opens his eyes, smiling slightly at Rick.

If Rick hadn't observed Morty's every movement in the last couple of days, he might have fallen for that. He might have believed that Morty is alright and simply has a weird way of reacting to a very intense orgasm. But Rick _has_ observed him, which is why he knows that Morty is hiding behind a calm mask.

"Sorry I kept you waiting," Morty says, and to Rick's utter disbelieve, the boy reaches out and wraps his hand around Rick's cock.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Rick drawls and pulls Morty's hand away from his cock. Morty looks confused for a moment. Then his eyes light up with understanding.

Rick watches with narrowed eyes as Morty scoots down. He needs a couple of seconds until he understands what Morty's about to do since it's so unexpected. Immediately, Rick pulls Morty back up.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Do you seriously think that I want you to suck me off right after I made you cry?"

"What?" Morty looks stunned. "What are you talking about? When did you make me cry?"

"Literally _twenty seconds ago_. It's not even dried yet." Rick reaches out and touches the side of Morty's face that is indeed still wet.

"I...think that's just sweat? I don't remember crying. I mean, why would I?"

Rick looks at Morty intently for a long moment and decides that the boy believes in what he says. In a way, that is even more alarming. It looks like Morty was so overwhelmed that he didn't even notice the tear rolling down the side of his face.

"You tell me. Why were you shivering like that right after your orgasm, anyway? It looked like I...like I hurt you or something."

Morty's eyes widen. "Wha-? Really?"

Rick just nods.

"Oh. I'm sorry you got that impression. I'm fine, please just forget it. I promise I won't cry if you should ever give me a blowjob again." Morty smiles weakly in a way that looks unbelievably adorable. Rick has to force himself not to get distracted by that.

"I want you to tell me what went through your head right after you came."

"Why?" Morty asks hesitantly.

"Because I want to understand why you cried and _didn't even notice_." When Morty still looks reluctant, Rick adds, "If you don't want me to know what you were thinking, then fine. I won't force you to tell me anything."

Morty hesitates for a moment longer, then he grimaces. "I...look, I'm not good with words, okay? It will sound cheesy."

Rick snorts. "Do I look like I care about shit like that?"

"You might if you were the one saying cheesy stuff," Morty mutters without looking Rick in the eye. For a moment, it seems like Morty might say that he doesn't want to talk about it. Rick grinds his teeth to prevent himself from saying anything. He's so close to Morty opening up to him, and if he says the wrong thing now, he might drive Morty away.

"Fine, I'll try to put it into words," Morty finally says. "But - don't you want me to take care of that first?"

Morty bites his lip and gestures towards Rick's cock. Is it wishful thinking, or is Morty looking at his cock kind of eagerly?

"No, that can wait." Seeing Morty cry put a damper on his arousal. Right now, Rick is more interested in what goes on in Morty's head than sex. With a look at the clock, Rick adds, "I still have almost seven hours left, anyway."

"Fine," Morty says and sits up. Rick throws the blanket over both of them. Morty's naked body is too distracting. He doesn't want to get tempted to cut their conversation short. "I...think it was pretty obvious that that was my first blowjob, right?"

Rick hesitates for a second. "I suspected that I was the first client who gave you a blowjob, yes. I didn't know that it was your first one _ever_."

Morty scratches his back uncomfortably and avoids looking Rick in the eyes. "Yeah, well, I wasn't sexually active before I became a rent boy."

"Wait. So the first time you had sex..."

"...was with a client, yes." Rick considers that for a moment. Morty described the sex with his clients as painful and humiliating. It can't have been nice to lose his virginity to one of them.

As if he read his thoughts, Morty adds quietly, "My first time wasn't _that_ bad. Yeah, it was painful and rough, but that particularly Rick didn't have any weird kinks, apart from being obsessed with virginity. I never saw him again after that night. I figured he wasn't interested in my body anymore after he had tainted it or whatever. Looking back, he was one of the best clients I ever had, though I couldn't see that at the time. I thought he would seek me out for sure after that dickhead Rick made my ass tight again, but he didn't." Morty rubs his forehead and sighs. "Sorry, I'm rambling. I told you I'm not good with words."

"I've heard much worse rambling," Rick assures him, clenching his fists under the sheets. He knew that Morty must have had some bad experiences with other Ricks, but he didn't think it was _that_ bad. "Don't worry about it."

"Okay. Anyway, I'm trying to say that even the clients you treated me a bit better still didn't care that they hurt me. None of them cared about giving me pleasure. Most of them never touched my cock. Some even actively tried to avoid my prostate. And for some reason, I had to think about all that after that mindblowing orgasm that you gave me, and I felt...I don't know...I felt this deep _sorrow_ that I'll have to give that up sooner or later. It felt like I couldn't breathe for a second. Sorry, I can't describe it any better."

"In other words, you wouldn't mind staying with me permanently?"

Morty whips his head around and looks at Rick sharply. There is a hardness in his eyes that gives Rick goosebumps. Rick likes it when Morty shows his inner strength so openly. After a couple of seconds, Morty seems to find what he was looking for in Rick's expression and relaxes again.

"I...not _necessarily_. I like being here. You're nice to be around, and the sex is fine. Great, even. But - I don't want to stay at the same place for too long. It's not safe."

"What do you mean, not safe?" Rick has a suspicion of what Morty might be talking about, but he doesn't know if Morty will close himself off if Rick mentions it. Rick decides to risk it. Morty seems to be in a more talkative mood than usual, and he wants to use that to his advantage. "Are you afraid someone might find out which dimension you were born in if you stay at the same place for too long?"

Morty freezes, and his eyes widen in the same way they did earlier today when Rick mentioned the dimension-finder. He looks scared out of his mind, and unlike earlier, he doesn't immediately try to hide it.

"Don't be afraid," Rick says and tries to make his voice sound as soothing as possible. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Morty takes a deep, shaking breath and licks his lips. There is still fear in his eyes, but it's not as prominent as it was a couple of seconds ago. "You know which dimension I come from?"

Morty's voice sounds uncharacteristically weak. It makes Rick uneasy. What is Morty so afraid of?

"No, I don't. But I noticed how you reacted when I mentioned the dimension-finder today. You looked terrified. I figured that you somehow managed to piss the Citadel off, and that's why you don't want to get identified. That's why you don't feel safe in the Citadel, right? Because you're on the run-"

"I didn't do jackshit!"Morty interrupts him angrily. Rick blinks. It's unusual for Morty to get this loud. "I'm not a fucking criminal! I didn't do anything to deserve to be hunted down like...like some goddamn _animal_."

"So they _are_ looking for you."

"Yes," Morty drawls and grimaces. "But not to punish me. They just want to use me to lure my Rick to the Citadel. I can't let that happen. I don't want to see him _ever again_."

"Why?"

"Because he's an asshole," Morty says simply. "He doesn't give two shits about me. He never has, even though there was a time when I thought he did. He has hurt me more than all of my clients combined, that's all I'm gonna say."

Morty raises his gaze and looks directly into Rick's eyes. "Don't expose me to the Citadel. I might not be as smart as a Rick, but I would find a way to make you pay."

"I won't expose you," Rick responds, a little impatient. "I don't have any reason to do that."

"You do. I'm sure the Citadel would reward you handsomely."

Rick snorts. "I don't need some fucking reward. Especially if I had to hurt you to get it. I don't like seeing you in pain. Have you already forgotten that?"

Morty blinks and leans back against the headboard. He had leaned forward when he was trying to intimidate Rick or whatever the hell he was trying to do. Now, the tension leaves his body, and he frowns.

"I thought not wanting to hurt me is only limited to the bedroom and only to physical pain."

"Wha-? Why _the hell_ would you think that? Wait, don't answer that. I think I already know the answer. You have some pretty big trust issues, and you're used to people hurting you." Morty grimaces but doesn't object. That's all the confirmation Rick needs. "Anyway, I'm glad that I know that the Citadel is looking for you for sure, now. It explains a lot. That's the reason why you can't attend _Morty Academy_ , right? You'd have to identify yourself for that."

Morty nods and looks down at the sheets. "You weren't supposed to find out that the Citadel is looking for me. Why do you have to keep _prying_ and _prying_ , anyway? It doesn't make the sex better if you know my secrets."

" _Goddamit_ ," Rick groans. Gently, he lifts Morty's chin and forces him to look Rick in the eye. "Listen to me. I'm only going to say this once. _You aren't a living and breathing sex toy to me._ Stop acting like I'll throw you under the bus any chance I get. I _will not_ hurt you unless you hurt me first. _Tell me what I have to do to get you to believe me._ "

Rick lets go of Morty's chin and waits for his response. Morty licks his lips.

"There is something you could do for me if you don't want to see me getting hurt," Morty says slowly. "But I doubt you'd do that for me. It's too much of a hustle."

"Well, you can't know that unless you ask me. What do you want me to do?"

"Alright," Morty says hesitantly. "But don't get angry for even suggesting it, okay?"

"I won't. Just spill it out."

"Fine. You're working on inventing that dimension-finder, right? So it shouldn't be too hard for you to find a way to make sure that it doesn't identify me correctly, right?"

Rick considers that for a moment. If he does that and the Citadel ever finds out about it, he'll be in a lot of trouble. But who says that they will ever have to find out about it?

"Sure," Rick says slowly. "I can do that. It might take a couple of days until I figure out a way to trick the dimension-finder, though. Maybe even a bit longer, considering that the dimension-finder doesn't work properly yet, which means that I have no way of checking whether my method works."

Morty's eyes widen, and his mouth drops open in shock. "Wha-? Are you serious? You'd really do that for me?"

"Yes," Rick responds firmly. "I doubt it will be very hard. And it will make the chances slimmer that you'll get hurt in the future. That's all the motivation I need."

Morty stares at him for a couple more seconds, and then he suddenly reaches out and hugs Rick around the waist. Rick pets his head, not sure what to do. Morty has never hugged him before. It might seem like a small thing, considering how often they had sex already, but somehow it's not. It feels good to have Morty wrapped around him, feeling his shaking breath on his chest.

"Don't start crying, okay?" Rick says after a while when the silence starts to get uncomfortable. He's still petting Morty's hair absentmindedly. He wouldn't mind if they stayed like this for a bit longer, but it feels like Morty is on the brick of another emotional breakdown, and he doesn't want to deal with that.

"I won't," Morty mumbles against Rick's chest. "I promise. But - Rick, do you have _any_ idea what it would mean to me if you did that for me? I won't have to live with the constant fear of being identified anymore. I won't have to keep selling my body and can look for a job I actually enjoy. I could even start attending _Morty Academy_ if I wanted to. The only reason I didn't do that before was that you have to identify yourself for that. I won't even have to keep saving up money to buy a portal gun on the black market any more so that I can get the hell out of here.

_"God._ I was always so terrified that someone might find out who I am. You remember the bruised face and sprain I had when I showed up on your doorstep? I got that from the Rick, who allowed me to live in this shitty apartment without having to identify myself in exchange for a night of sex once per week. For some reason, he wanted to check my identity, after all, and when I refused to give him some blood so that he could do that, he got angry. I won't have to deal with any of that anymore, even if you get sick of me, eventually." Morty lifts his head from Rick's chest and beams up at him. "You're the best thing that has ever happened to me."

There are tears in Morty's eyes, but they don't spill over his cheeks, and they are tears of joy, so that's fine. Rick can't help but return Morty's smile. Morty's excitement is contagious.

"What will you do once you don't have to hide anymore?" Rick remembers how Morty said that he hadn't cooked anything in over a year, and adds, "Will you start looking for an apartment with an actual kitchen in it?"

"That depends on you."

"What do you mean?" Rick asks, a little confused.

"I'd prefer to stay here with you for as long as you'll let me. But some things would have to change for me to be comfortable with that."

"Like what?"

"Well, first of all, I don't want to pay you with sex anymore. I don't like being dependent on you like that. I want to pay rent like a normal person."

"So, no more sex?" Rick asks and tries no to look too disappointed. Sure, he'd prefer not having to pay money to have sex with Morty, but he'd still choose that over not sleeping with him at all.

Morty hesitates for a moment. "I didn't say that. I thought we could try something along the lines of...of a casual relationship or something." Morty blushes furiously at the word _relationship_. "Like, we'd only have sex and kiss and so on when we both want to, and we don't put a time limit or anything like that on it. What do you think?"

Morty peaks anxiously up at Rick, obviously unsure of his reaction. It looks like he expects Rick to refuse. Rick doesn't even have to think about it, though.

"That sounds great." Sure, Rick isn't entirely comfortable with the term _relationship,_ but that is only a minor grievance. It's honestly more than Rick could have hoped for. He didn't expect that Morty would ever want to sleep with him without getting paid for it.

Morty gives him a hesitant smile and then rests his head against Rick's chest again. Rick tightens his hold on the boy. There are still some things Rick will have to talk about with Morty. He wants to know what his original Rick did to him that was so bad that Morty preferred to become a rent boy and live in fear just so that he won't have to see him again.

But that can wait. He doesn't want to disrupt the comfortable silence that settled over them.

Besides, he doubts that Morty will tell him anything about that, at least right now. It's already hard to believe that he told him as much as he did. He's confident that Morty will be willing to talk about it in time, and that's enough for Rick.

Rick still thinks that he might get tired of Morty eventually. But he's convinced that it won't happen in the next couple of months, at the very least. He doesn't dare to think about anything beyond that.

**Author's Note:**

> As you might have noticed, I'm not a native speaker. Feel free to correct mistakes of any kind in the comments.


End file.
